World Suicide Prevention Day 2023: Dont suffer in silence
After learning about his mother’s battle with depression following her suicide, campaigner, comedian and teacher, Marcus Tisson is determined not to let anyone else suffer in silence
Transcript
00:00 On August 21st 2016 I got the most shocking phone call of my life.
00:07 A family member told me that my mum, my mother, died.
00:13 What made it worse was knowing that she took her own life and she committed suicide.
00:20 [Music]
00:33 My name is Marcus Tisson. I work in education. I'm also a silent comedian and an actor.
00:42 I also have my own campaign called Don't Suffer In Silence which helps people with mental health awareness.
00:49 [Music]
00:55 In 2016 my mother took her life and two months after her passing my dad passed away.
01:03 I lost both parents in two months in 2016.
01:06 Shortly after that's when I decided to do my campaign because I knew my mum was suffering in silence.
01:13 She didn't have any form of mental illness. Depression, always laughing, happy. She hid that well.
01:19 So that's why I called it Don't Suffer In Silence because so many people are suffering in silence.
01:23 I think it's really important. I think so many people are still doing it. I think it's still a stigma.
01:29 I know there's a lot of things happening in the year 2023 but some people feel they're alone sometimes.
01:35 What my aim is is to let people know you're not alone. There's always someone out there.
01:40 Finding out that someone you love or someone you know has committed suicide but letting know your mum
01:45 and the way she's done it as well, dropping her in front of a train, it's very traumatic.
01:48 It's given me PTSD and anxiety through that experience.
01:53 Some days I struggle, you know what I mean? And losing your dad as well, after it.
01:59 Unless you've been through it, you can't really explain it but it's very hard mentally.
02:05 Some days I struggle, a lot of days I don't. It depends, you know what I mean?
02:09 But my campaign helps me, my comedy helps me, I was keeping busy, being around positive people helped me
02:15 but the first few years were very hard for me, very dark days.
02:19 I didn't ever get over it but you do deal with it better.
02:24 I think the first year was really hard but after that, I see myself spiralling down into the past,
02:33 a dark place and I thought I didn't want to do that. I've got kids, I've got people who need me and love me.
02:39 I started focusing on the campaign, the campaign helped me.
02:44 I started doing the things I wanted to do, which I was scared to do, like comedy and acting.
02:50 And it's gone really well and that kept me focused.
02:54 I've been sitting indoors and smoking about and really been on the side of myself.
02:59 It's all about getting active and getting positive and doing stuff that makes you happy.
03:03 That's what makes me happy, that's what got me over it.
03:06 Even the train thing, I didn't get on the train for the first three years but then I thought, you know what,
03:11 I'm all about fighting my fears, you know what I mean?
03:14 I've always been that kind of person. I think my parents and my mum, especially my mum,
03:18 they always told me, "Don't be scared, don't put on your jeans, don't let anything hinder you.
03:23 Please, just don't suffer in silence. Reach out to someone because you're not talking to someone,
03:29 it's going to build up and build up and build up and that's when you kind of snap.
03:32 But if you talk, see a counsellor, try and see a counsellor, go to your doctors,
03:37 see if you can go to Helping Hands, it's a local charity.
03:40 I've been to Hyde, there's another men's group, Andy's Men's Club I think it's called.
03:46 Andy's Men's Club, every Monday I do that. Google them and they do a lot of men's people,
03:51 if you're a man, struggling. But if you're a female, a teenager, a child, anyone, see this,
03:57 reach out to someone. If it's your young, your teacher, your parents, a friend, your adult,
04:03 reach out to someone who you can trust. Even if you don't know no one, there's always sights
04:09 and again, Samaritan's is good, Mind is good. Reach out to me, those of you in silence.
04:14 I can direct you to the professionals or if you just want someone to talk to, I'm here to listen.
04:19 What's happening guys, Marcus here. I just want to say to anyone watching this, you've got this.
04:26 If you're going through any kind of hard time, mental health, depression, anxiety, grief, you've got this.
04:33 You're not alone, trust me, you're not alone.
04:36 (classical music)
04:38 [Music]